Resume Strategies for College Internships

Recently, we've seen a number of college students coming to us looking for help with their resume to secure an internship. Internships are great resume builders, however they are competitive in today's marketplace. A resume is the first step in the door and needs to profile your work, abilities, activities and education to help get you noticed.

With our recent college candidates, it's surprising to see resumes "certified" by the college placement offices as good. The tired, outdated task and duty resumes that we have seen rarely make a young, college person look good on paper. Yet, they are still widely in use by placement offices today.

So, with parents by their side, we took a fresh look at each candidate and came up with some practical ways on how our candidates can promote their value on their resume.

  1. Headline. We put a headline on the top of the page telling the reader what the candidate was seeking. It's important to tell the hiring manager who you are, what you want and why you are interested in the job.
  2. Skills profile. Everyone is good at something, so why not tell the hiring manager what you are good at? If you have skills, knowledge or experience in robotics, tell the reader. If you know a lot about raising money for worthy causes, let's tell your story.
  3. Leadership. Did you help found your fraternity? Did you run a community event? Were you the organizer of a fundraiser? Your resume is a perfect place to show your leadership. Companies  love to see candidates that demonstrate initiative and self-direction.
  4. Got good grades? Accentuate the positive. Your resume can feature projects, papers, and classes that are relevant to the jobs for which you apply.
  5. Unique abilities. Skilled at technical software like AutoCad or design and photo editing software like PhotoShop? Proficient in Microsoft Excel using formulas and macros? Your resume should profile unique abilities and skills.

Often, one of the first things we hear from young candidates is that they simply don't have anything "good" to add to their resume. This is far from the case. With the right line of questioning, we find that there's always a story to be told. A good resume writer will help you think creatively and put yourself in the shoes of the hiring manager. A good resume will promote your value and be the first step in the door that builds the foundation for a successful career.

Owner of RochesterResume.com, Paul Bush has more than 20 years of experience as a resume writer. If you need to help with your resume, contact our expert.



« Back to blog listings